Syracuse
Syracuse is a very gifted and unusual horse who shows up in The Pinhoe Egg when Julia Chant and Janet Chant read a horse book on vacation and suddenly become mad about the idea of riding horses. Chrestomanci agrees to buy one horse for the two of them to share between them until they learn to ride, and ends up sending his stableman to buy a horse from a wizard in the next county. He is described as dark brown with a black mane and tail, and small overall, with spectacular breeding, and very docile. However, when the stableman returns to the Castle with the horse, Syracuse turns out to be anything but docile. The Castle cancels out all the spells the wizard had put on him, and leaves him full of mischief. Cat comes downstairs in time to find all the stablehands circling around, trying to catch Syracuse while Syracuse is having tremendous fun avoiding them all. When the horse, taking an escape route that leads him right to where Cat is standing, encounters someone who understands him, he is taken aback. Cat finds that he can understand -- not what Syracuse is thinking, exactly, but what he is feeling. He also learns that Syracuse is very partial to peppermints. Eventually, after first Janet, and then Julia, decide that they were mistaken in their passion for horses and don't want him after all, Cat surprises everyone and asks if he can have Syracuse. Syracuse is delighted to finally get the right rider after all, and the two become fast friends. Dwimmer Lessons The first way in which Syracuse drives the plot and story of the book is the way in which he is able to teach Cat things about dwimmer -- the nature magic that is part of Cat's own magical talent and awareness. By paying attention to things, Syracuse brings Cat's attention to them as well. He learns about the river, the trees, the forest and the land, and is able to sense that things are wrong with the forest around the Castle. There is not as much life and awareness in them as there is supposed to be. Syracuse is able to sidestep the human paths and take Christopher into a part of the forest that is hidden away from the rest, and it's there that he meets the wise old person who is later revealed to be Gaffer Pinhoe. Confrontation Syracuse, as well as Klartch, are both present when Cat has his confrontation with Gaffer Farleigh. Luckily, Cat is able to save all three of them from being shot by him. Shortly thereafter, they find Marianne, who Cat was going to meet. Together, they tear down the fence that had been erected to keep Gaffer imprisoned, and Marianne has a reunion with her gaffer, whom she's believed to be dead for the last 8 years. At the same time, Syracuse meets the Gaffer's unicorn, who points out that Syracuse has some unicorn blood in him. It's clear, somehow, that this group of people will be friends and allies of one another for many years. Category:Chrestomanci characters